hold 'em close
by our dancing days
Summary: "Thing is, the king of hearts can't shine quite so bright if all you have is diamonds." / Poker isn't a game for the faint-hearted. freeverse.


**Title: **Hold 'Em Close

**Characters: **Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny. No pairings.

**Summary: **"Thing is, the king of hearts can't shine quite so bright if all you have is diamonds." Poker isn't a game for the faint-hearted - freeverse.

**Notes: **I'm not completely sure about the layout here, and I don't know what you all like, but I'm pretty happy with it. I've been obsessed with Texas Hold 'Em lately - hence the title - and so this kind of... happened. Enjoy?

**Notes 2: **Also, I saw hearts as representing Gryffindor, clubs as representing Slytherin, diamonds as representing Hufflepuff and spades as representing Ravenclaw - you don't have to agree.

* * *

Life is a p-o-k-e-r game.

Take your cards and hold 'em close;

**Deal** with the **deck** they **dealt** you -

Throw in a chip or two,

And hope for the BEST.

Call. Fold. Raise?

James is the **king** of **hearts**,

oh, doesn't he just

SHINE?

Thing is, the **king** of **hearts** can't shine

quite so bright

if all you have is d-i-a-m-o-n-d-s.

Raise. Call. Fold?

Lily is the _queen _of _clubs, _

all curves and four-leaf-clovers,

to those who don't know the

{GAME}

But she's **important**.

LUCKY.

(_Sometimes_, anyway.)

Fold. Raise. Call?

Sirius is the j-a-c-k of d-i-a-m-o-n-d-s**, **

the player

who jokes his way across the table

to be placed back in the pack

with the other meaningless

CARDS.

He can't shine quite so b-r-i-g-h-t

{in the dark}.

Call. Fold. Raise?

Remus is the ace of spades_, _

all angles and upside-down-lopsided-hearts

to those who haven't

**played** before.

The suit he wears, his

MASK,

is handed over to _another. _

Raise. Call. Fold?

Peter is the _ten _of _clubs_**, **

o - v - e - r - l - o - o - k - e - d,

nothing without another of the SET.

"Ten of - oh, you know-"

"**Hearts?"**

"No, no - the other one."

"D-i-a-m-o-n-d-s?"

"No, the roundish one."

"Spades?"

There's only one left,

**process **_of _**elimination. **

"_Clubs?"_

"Oh, is that what it's called?"

Fold. Raise. Call?

If life is a game of p-o-k-e-r

then they make a **royal flush**,

in a way,

(because they're all hearts

at HEART)

And if you bet h^i^g^h enough,

you might even make a profit

(and a prophecy).

Call. Fold. Raise?

Thing is, take away the _ten _of _clubs,_

and replace it with a **king**

{PRINCE}

of _clubs - _

oh so more important,

following in his mother's footsteps -

and the entire hand becomes

m-e-a-n-i-n-g-l-e-s-s.

**Two kings? **

That's not worth shit in p-o-k-e-r.

Raise. Call. Fold?

So let's take away the **king **of **hearts - **

pretty meaningless now,

right Prongs? -

and rip the _queen _of _clubs_ in

HA/LF -

she's done her part now,

right Lily? -

and leave the j-a-c-k of d-i-a-m-o-n-d-s

{in the dark} -

not so funny now,

right Padfoot? -

and drop the ace of spades -

who wasn't needed in the end,

right Moony? -

and what're you LEFT with?

Fold. Raise. Call?

But add in a queen of spades -

Hermione,

you can be needed now -

and put together a **jack **of **hearts - **

Ron,

just follow your {heart}-

and remove an a-c-e of d-i-a-m-o-n-d-s

from the pack -

Ginny,

you're capable of SHINING -

and pick up the _king _of _clubs _from the sidewalk -

Harry, pick yourself up

and **fight.**

(You're all hearts at heart).

Call. Fold. Raise?

And you need _one more card. _

Take your pick.

This hand will be EASY,

though it won't seem it

'til the last round of **bets. **

Put in your chips

because this _king_ of _clubs _won't let you

D O W N.

Raise. Call. Fold?

The others can try, just try,

to **spurn **you.

10

9

8

7

6

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

You have a much better _hand_

than THEY do.

Fold. Raise. Call?

The cards they dealt you

are l-o-o-k-i-n-g up -

your house ain't made of

**paper cards **no more.

One BLOW

and you don't crumble,

so throw in a chip 

_Or two. _

Call. Fold. RAISE.

Life is a p-o-k-e-r game,

so take your cards and

**HOLD 'EM **

_close - _

you'll win in the end.


End file.
